Fieldwork Data Collection & Presentation — GCSE Geography Revision

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What is Fieldwork Data Collection & Presentation?

Data collection is the core of fieldwork, where you gather your primary data using techniques like questionnaires, pedestrian counts, or environmental quality surveys. Once collected, the data needs to be presented in a clear and appropriate way. This involves choosing the right graphical method for your data, such as bar charts for questionnaire results, line graphs for changes over time, or scatter plots for correlations. All graphs and maps must follow correct geographical conventions.

Board notes: Data presentation is a key assessed skill for all boards (AQA, Edexcel, OCR). Students are expected to be able to select and justify appropriate presentation methods for different types of data, and to draw them accurately. Marks are often awarded for accuracy and adherence to graphical conventions.

Worked example

Common mistakes

• 1Asking leading questions in a questionnaire. Questions should be neutral and not guide the respondent towards a particular answer. You should also include a mix of closed questions (with fixed answers) and open questions (where respondents can give their own opinion).
• 2Presenting raw data without processing it. You should process your data by calculating totals, percentages, or averages (like the mean or median) before presenting it in a graph.
• 3Producing poorly presented graphs. All graphs must have a title, labelled axes with units, and a key if necessary. They should be neat, accurate, and easy to interpret. Using a computer to generate graphs is often a good idea.

Fieldwork Data Collection & Presentation exam questions

Exam-style questions for Fieldwork Data Collection & Presentation with mark-scheme style solutions and timing practice. Aligned to AQA, Edexcel and OCR specifications.

Frequently asked questions

• What is an environmental quality survey?

  An environmental quality survey is a technique used to assess the quality of an area based on a set of criteria. You create a bipolar scale (e.g., from -3 to +3) for factors like litter, noise, and building quality, and give a score for each at different locations. This allows you to quantitatively compare different areas.

• What is a desire line map?

  A desire line map is used to show movements between places. Lines are drawn connecting the origin and destination of a journey. The thickness of the line can be made proportional to the number of people making that journey. It is often used to show spheres of influence or commuting patterns.